Lacing-hook for shoes



(Ho Model.)

Patented Apr. 26, 1898.

Witnesses.

Attorney.

UNITED STATES PATENT muss.

LEWIS F. EARL, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

LAClNG-HOOK FOR SHOES, GLOVES, doc.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 602,842, dated April26, 1898.

Application filed July 20, 1897. Serial No- 645,224. (No model.)

To LtZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LEWIS F. EARL, of Philadelphia, (Oak Lane,) countyof Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement inLacing-I-looks for Shoes, Gloves, the, of which the following isaspecification.

My invention has reference to lacing-hooks for shoes, gloves, &c. and itconsists of certain improvements, which are fully set forth in thefollowing specification and shown in the accompanying drawings, whichform a part thereof.

The object of my invention is to provide a suitable construction oflacing-hook which shall form a smooth or unobstructed upper surfaceafter the lace is applied thereto, so as to prevent the possibility ofthe garment catching thereon.

My improved lacing hook is especially adapted to ladies shoes, and isdesigned so that the swinging of the skirts over the said hooks will notcatch thereon to tear the skirt or injure the hook.

In carrying out my invention I provide a suitable eyelet or other meansfor attachment directly to the shoe, glove, or other garment and towhich the hook proper is pivoted or loosely joined, The hook is formedof a bent piece of metal, forming, when closed upon the garment, anarch-shaped portion to confine the lace, and, further, havingits freeend provided with a lateral projection or tongue,forming, in effect, ahook about which the lace is drawn and retained, the lateral projectionfrom said free end being adapted during the lacing operation. to presenta portion about which the lace may be wrapped so as to draw the hookinto position when tightening the lace.

My invention will be better understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a shoe with mylacing-hooks attached thereto and in process of receiving the lace. Fig.2 is a perspective view of one of my improved lacinghooks removed. Fig.3 is a perspective view of the hook portion separated from the eyelet.Fig. 4: is a perspective view of the eyelet portion with the hookremoved. Fig. 5 is a modified form of my improved lacing-hook. Fig. 6 isa modified form of the eyelet, and Figs.

7 and 8 are plan views showing a modification of my improvedlacing-hook.

A is the'shoe.

B are my improved lacing-hooks, and C is the lace.

W'hile'I have shown my invention as applied to a shoe, it is to beunderstood that it may be applied to a glove or any garment.

In applying the hook to a shoe the eyelet D is passed through a hole andupset or riveted into position as is customary in applying the ordinarylacing-hooks. The eyelet D is provided at its top with a flange E, whichis stamped up into the bearingsF upon each side of a fiat tongue G,arranged between them and as a continuation of the flange E. The hookproper is indicated at H and is made archshaped. One end is providedwith lateral bearing-pins h, which are adapted to fit into the bearingsF F of the eyelet and are held therein by the tongue G. The other orfree end of the hook H is bent over and under to form a lateral tongueI, having the downwardly-extending flange i. The juncture of the parts Iand H forms in effect a hook-recess, which is especially adapted toreceive and hold the lace G. hen the hook H is closed down upon theeyelet D, as indicated in Fig. 2, it will be seen that the portion Irests upon the flange E of the eyelet, and the projection 15 extendsdownward over the top thereof and forms no obstruction or projectionupon which anything can catch.

In applying my improved lacing-hook to a shoe I prefer to set the eyeletso that the hinge on the lacing-hook is arranged at an angle to the lineof the lacing-hooks or edges of the parts to be drawn together, as isvery clearly seen by an examination of Fig. 1. The angle of this hingeof the lacing-hook is in opposite directions upon each side of the spacebetween the two parts which are to be drawn together. "While I preferthis angular arrangement of the hinge, nevertheless I do not confinemyself to it.

In applying the lace to myimproved hooks it will be seen that when thehooks are thrown open into the position shown at the upper part of theshoe of Fig. l the lace is drawn through the inside of the arch of thehook H, as shown at the left-hand side of Fig. 1, is then drawndownward, and then over the under side of the lateral tongue I andimmediately inside of the flange t', as indicated at the right-hand sideof Fig. 1. Upon then drawing the lace upward it will be seen that thehook H rotates about its axis F It and closes down upon the eyelet, andin so doing the part I passes over back of the lace, and the lace isleft in the hook portion S, as is clearly shown in Fig. l. Thelacing-hook is then retained in position by the tension put upon it bythe lace itself. When the lace is loosened or removed, the hooks H dropdown by gravity into the position indicated at the upper part of theshoe in Fig. 1. From this it will be observed that no springs arenecessary, and when the shoe is properly laced it will be practicallyimpossible for any of the lacing-hooks to become disconnected from thelace, since the lateral tongue I extends under the lace to aconsiderable extent and prevents it accidentally disconnecting itselffrom the hook H.

From the construction of my improved lacing-hook, as above described, itwill be seen that the entire device may be formed of stamped sheetmetal, securing great rigidity with simplicity and cheapness ofmanufacture.

In the construction shown in Fig. 5 we have the hook H looselyj'ournaled at J to a staple Ksuch, for instance, as was usually employedin securing buttons upon shoes and as a substitute for the eyelet. Thehookpiece, at its free end, is similar to the con struction abovedescribed. In place of the staple-hook K an eyelet with the bearing F,as indicated in Fig. 6, may be employed.

In the construction shown in Fig. 7 I have shown the hook II as bent atits end adjacent to the hinge, but with its main portion arrangedhorizontally. In this case the pivot is arranged obliquely.

In the construction shown in Fig. 2 the pivot-bearings are at rightangles to the hook H; but in the construction shown in Figs. 7 and 8they are arranged obliquely thereon. Otherwise the construction issubstantially the same. When this modification of my improvements isapplied to a shoe, the hook H moves through a somewhat different anglethan the hook H of the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

While I prefer the construction shownI do not confine myself thereto, asthe details may be modified without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

- 1. The combination with a garment, of a lacing-hook consisting of aprimary part secured to said garment near its edge and having an archedportion hinged or jointed at one end to the primary part on an axisarranged obliquely to the edge of the garment and directed toward thatpart of the edge first to be acted upon when lacing the garment andhaving its opposite end bent over and under to form a hook-shaped recesswhereby the arched and hinged or jointed portion may fall down and awayfrom the edge of the garment under the action of gravity and whenunlaced present the bent edge of the hook outward.

2. The combination of a garment, with a lacing-hook consisting of aprimary part secured to said garment near its edge and having an archedportion hinged or jointed at one end to the primary part on an axisarranged obliquely to the edge of the garment and having its oppositeend bent over and under to form a hook shaped recess and furtherprovided with a lateral tongue or extension about which the lace may bewrapped to move the hook during the lacing operation.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a lacing-hook consisting of aprimary part adapted to be attached to a shoe or other garment,

in combination with an arched portion hinged or jointed to the primarypart at one end and having its other end bent over and under to form ahook-shaped recess and further provided with a lateral tongue orextension having a downwardly-projecting flange at its extreme outeredge about which tongue the lace may be wrapped to move the hook duringthe lacing operation.

4. As an article of manufacture a lacinghook for shoes and othergarments consisting of an eyelet D having the flange E, the two bearingsF stamped upward thereon, and interposed tongue G at one side of theeyelet located between the hearings, in combination with the arch-shapedhook H having one end provided with outwardly-extending journalpins hadapted to the bearings F and held therein by the interposed tongue andhaving its other or free end bent over and under to form the hook-shapedrecess S and continued laterally as at I to form a tongue or lateralprojection adapted to be received upon the flange E of the eyelet.

5. As an article of manufacture a lacinghook for shoes and othergarments consisting of an eyelet D having the flange E, bearings F, andinterposed tongue G, in combination with the arch-shaped hook H havingone end provided with journal-pins 72. adapted to the bearings F andhaving its other or free end bent over and under to form the hook-shapedrecess S and continued laterally as at I to form a tongue or lateralprojection adapted to be received upon the flange E of the eyelet andfurther having its extreme end bent downward as at 71 to extend over theedge of the said flange E of the eyelet.

6. The combination of a shoe or garment having two parts to be drawntogether separated by a slit or opening the said parts being united atone end and separable toward the other and in which each part thereof isprovided near its edge with a series of lacinghooks each consisting of aprimary part secured to the garment near the edge and a lacing-hookproper pivoted to the primary part on an axis arranged obliquelyto edgesof the garment to be drawn together and having its free end bent underto form a hook-shaped recess and also provided with a lateral extensionor tongue directed obliquely away from the opening in the garment whenthe hook is closed.

7. The combination of a shoe or garment having two parts formed withparallel edges adapted to be drawn together atintervals from one endtoward the other and in which each part thereof is provided near itsedge with a series of lacing-hooks each consisting of a primary partsecured to the garment and a lacing-hook proper pivoted to the primarypart on an axis arranged obliquely to the edge of the garment to bedrawn together and having its free end bent under to form a hookshapedrecess and also extended to form a lateral extension or tongue directedtoward the portion of the opening to be finally closed and about whichtongue the lace may be wrapped after being placed in the hook portion todraw the lacing hook into locking position over the lace.

8. As a new article of manufacture, a lacing-hook consisting of aprimary part furnished with means for attachment to the garment, incombination with an arched portion hinged or jointed to the primary partat one end and having its other end bent over and under to form ahook-shaped recess and further provided with a lateral tongue receiveddirectly upon the primary part to limit the movement of the said lateralprojection toward the garment.

In testimony of which invention 1 hereunto set my hand.

LEWIS F. EARL. Witnesses:

W. A. ALLGAIER, ERNEST HOWARD HUNTER.

